NORWICH – Two men charged in an alleged murder plot to kill two Norwich Police officers had their charges dismissed in court Monday morning.

Mathew C. Smith, 27, of the Elmira and Norwich area, and Robert W. Gallo Jr., 25, of 22 Sheldon St., were accused of conspiring to kill Norwich Police Officer Reuben Roach and his father, retired Norwich Police Chief Murray Roach.

After two hours of testimony, District Attorney Joseph McBride returned to court following a 10-minute recess and asked the judge to dismiss the charges against the defendants because the only witness in the case had altered her testimony on the stand.

City Court Judge Maureen Byrne ordered that the two men be released and dismissed the charges without prejudice. The District Attorney’s Office still has the option of bringing charges against the two men before the grand jury next month.

Norwich Police Chief Joseph Angelino said he had no comment at the time of the decision.